E-link: A Radiation-Hard Low-Power Electrical Link for Chip-to-Chip Communication

The e-link, an electrical interface suitable for transmission of data over PCBs or electrical cables, within a distance of a few meters, at data rates up to 320 Mbit/s, is presented. The elink is targeted for the connection between the GigaBit Transceiver (GBTX) chip and the Front-End (FE) integrated circuits. A commercial component complying with the Scalable Low- Voltage Signaling (SLVS) electrical standard was tested and demonstrated a performance level compatible with our application. Test results are presented. A SLVS transmitter/receiver IP block was designed in 130 nm CMOS technology. A test chip was submitted for fabrication

Development of SEU-robust, radiation-tolerant and industry-compatible programmable logic components

Most of the microelectronics components developed for the first generation of LHC experiments have been defined and designed with very precise experiment-specific goals and are fully optimized for these applications. In an effort to cover the needs for generic programmable components, often needed in the real world, an industry-compatible Programmable Logic Device (PLD) and an industry-compatible Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) are now under development. This effort is targeted to small volume applications or to the cases where small programmable functions are required to fix a system application. The PLD is a fuse-based, 10-input, 8-I/O general architecture device compatible with a popular commercial part, and is fabricated in 0.25 μm CMOS. The FPGA under development is instead a 32 × 32 logic block array, equivalent to 25k gates, to be fabricated in 0.13 μm CMOS. The work focusses on the design of SEU-robust registers which can be employed for configuration storage as well as for user data flip-flops. The SEU-robust registers were tested in a heavy-ion beam facility; test results are presented

Robots, Trade and Employment in Italian Local Labour Systems

Three main shocks have affected advanced economies over the last 25 years, with significant consequences for work, production and economic growth. The first is technological change associated with robotics and the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution. The second, which is partly related to the first, is the diffusion of ICT and the development of intelligent software applied both to industry and tertiary activities. The third is the strong competitive pressure from low cost and emerging countries, which have changed the geography of world production and trade flows, often within global value chains. Following the seminal papers of Acemoglu and Restrepo (2017) and Dauth, Findeisen, Südekum and Woessner (2017), the aim of this paper is to assess the impact of these three shocks on employment in Italian local labour markets in the period 1991-2011. What is new in our approach is the explicit consideration of the role played by the different typologies of local labour systems and industrial districts. We find that robots do not have any negative effect on employment in local labour markets. On the contrary, robots seem to be associated with a growth in overall employment, mainly due to the tertiary sector. The second result is that there is some evidence of a positive effect of ICT investments on local employment, in particular non-manufacturing employment. The last and most robust result of the econometric analysis is the negative impact of trade with low cost countries on local employment. This result has one almost absolute protagonist: China. All these impacts are not homogeneous across the national territory and partly depend on the characteristics of the local productive systems and industrial districts

Use of nano gold obtained by laser ablation for SEIRA analyses of colorants

The analysis of dyes in cultural heritage samples is a well-known challenging task, due to their inherent high tinting strength and consequent low concentration in the carrying matrix a fact that severely limits the number of analytical techniques that can be efficiently and micro-destructively employed for their detection and unambiguous identification. In the present study, an advanced and alternative SEIRA based analytical protocol for the analysis of small quantities of synthetic colorants has been proposed. The method has been set up for the identification of Acid Orange 7 (AO7) using Au nanoparticles obtained by laser ablation in solution (LASiS). Analyses have been performed applying a drop containing a mixture between the colorant and the Au colloidal solution in its unaggregated state on a gold coated glass slide for RAS (Reflection Absorption Spectroscopy) analysis. The first results showed that, thanks to the enhancement produced by the nanoparticles, it is possible to analyze small amount of diluted solutions containing the colorant. Thus, the method has been successfully applied for the analysis of few pieces of dyed wool, after the development of a suitable micro extraction procedure

The GBT-SCA, a radiation tolerant ASIC for detector control applications in SLHC experiments

This work describes the architecture of the GigaBit Transceiver – Slow Control Adapter (GBT–SCA) ASIC suitable for the control and monitoring applications of the embedded front-end electronics in the future SLHC experiments. The GBT–SCA is part the GBT chipset currently under development for the SLHC detector upgrades. It is designed for radiation tolerance and it will be fabricated in a commercial 130 nm CMOS technology. The paper discusses the GBT-SCA architecture, the data transfer protocol, the ASIC interfaces, and its integration with the GBT optical link. The GBT–SCA is one the components of the GBT system chipset. It is proposed for the future SLHC experiments and is designed to be configurable matching different front-end system requirements. The GBT-SCA is intended for the slow control and monitoring of the embedded front end electronics and implements a point-to-multi point connection between one GBT optical link ASIC and several front end ASICs. The GBT-SCA connects to a dedicated electrical port on the GBT ASIC that provides 80 Mbps of bidirectional data traffic. If needed, more than one GBT-SCA ASIC can be connected to a GBT ASIC thus increasing the control and monitoring capabilities in the system. The GBT-SCA ASIC features several I/O ports to interface with the embedded front-end ASICs. There are 16 I2C buses, 1 JTAG controller port, 4 8- bit wide parallel-ports, a memory bus controller and an ADC to monitor up to 8 external analog signals. All these ports are accessible from the counting room electronics, via the GBT optical link system. Special design techniques are being employed to protect the operation of the GBT-SCA against radiation induced Single-Event-Upsets to a level that is compatible for the SLHC experiments. The paper will present the overall architecture of the GBTSCA ASIC describing in detail the design of the peripheral controllers for the individual I/O ports, the network controller that implements the connectivity with the GBT ASIC and will discuss the operation modes and the flow of information between the control electronics and the embedded front end ASICs

Comparative analysis of inbreeding parameters and runs of homozygosity islands in 2 Italian autochthonous cattle breeds mainly raised in the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese production region

Reggiana and Modenese are autochthonous cattle breeds, reared in the North of Italy, that can be mainly distinguished for their standard coat color (Reggiana is red, whereas Modenese is white with some pale gray shades). Almost all milk produced by these breeds is transformed into 2 mono-breed branded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses, from which farmers receive the economic incomes needed for the sustainable conservation of these animal genetic resources. After the setting up of their herd books in 1960s, these breeds experienced a strong reduction in the population size that was subsequently reverted starting in the 1990s (Reggiana) or more recently (Modenese) reaching at present a total of about 2,800 and 500 registered cows, respectively. Due to the small population size of these breeds, inbreeding is a very important cause of concern for their conservation programs. Inbreeding is traditionally estimated using pedigree data, which are summarized in an inbreeding coefficient calculated at the individual level (FPED). However, incompleteness of pedigree information and registration errors can affect the effectiveness of conservation strategies. High-throughput SNP genotyping platforms allow investigation of inbreeding using genome information that can overcome the limits of pedigree data. Several approaches have been proposed to estimate genomic inbreeding, with the use of runs of homozygosity (ROH) considered to be the more appropriate. In this study, several pedigree and genomic inbreeding parameters, calculated using the whole herd book populations or considering genotyping information (GeneSeek GGP Bovine 150K) from 1,684 Reggiana cattle and 323 Modenese cattle, were compared. Average inbreeding values per year were used to calculate effective population size. Reggiana breed had generally lower genomic inbreeding values than Modenese breed. The low correlation between pedigree-based and genomic-based parameters (ranging from 0.187 to 0.195 and 0.319 to 0.323 in the Reggiana and Modenese breeds, respectively) reflected the common problems of local populations in which pedigree records are not complete. The high proportion of short ROH over the total number of ROH indicates no major recent inbreeding events in both breeds. ROH islands spread over the genome of the 2 breeds (15 in Reggiana and 14 in Modenese) identified several signatures of selection. Some of these included genes affecting milk production traits, stature, body conformation traits (with a main ROH island in both breeds on BTA6 containing the ABCG2, NCAPG, and LCORL genes) and coat color (on BTA13 in Modenese containing the ASIP gene). In conclusion, this work provides an extensive comparative analysis of pedigree and genomic inbreeding parameters and relevant genomic information that will be useful in the conservation strategies of these 2 iconic local cattle breeds

Exploiting within-breed variability in the autochthonous Reggiana breed identified several candidate genes affecting pigmentation-related traits, stature and udder defects in cattle

Autochthonous cattle breeds constitute important reservoirs of genetic diversity. Reggiana is an Italian local cattle breed reared in the north of Italy for the production of a mono-breed Parmigiano–Reggiano cheese. Reggiana cattle usually have a classical solid red coat colour and pale muzzle. As part of the strategies designed for the sustainable conservation of this genetic resource, we investigated at the genome-wise level the within-breed detected variability of three pigmentation-related traits (intensity of red coat colour, based on three classes – light/diluted, normal and dark; spotted patterns/piebaldism that sometime emerge in the breed; muzzle colour – pink/pale, grey and black), stature, presence/absence and number of supernumerary teats and teat length. A total of 1776 Reggiana cattle (about two-thirds of the extant breed population) were genotyped with the GeneSeek GGP Bovine 150k SNP array and single-marker and haplotype-based GWASs were carried out. The results indicated that two main groups of genetic factors affect the intensity of red coat colour: darkening genes (including EDN3 and a few other genes) and diluting genes (including PMEL and a few other genes). Muzzle colour was mainly determined by MC1R gene markers. Piebaldism was mainly associated with KIT gene markers. Stature was associated with BTA6 markers upstream of the NCAPG–LCORL genes. Teat defects were associated with TBX3/TBX5, MCC and LGR5 genes. Overall, the identified genomic regions not only can be directly used in selection plans in the Reggiana breed, but also contribute to clarifying the genetic mechanisms involved in determining exterior traits in cattle

Seroprevalence of HCV, HBV and HIV in two inner-city London Emergency Departments.

Summary: In this paper we build on work investigating the feasibility of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing in emergency departments (EDs), estimating the prevalence of hepatitis B, C and HIV infections among persons attending two inner-London EDs, identifying factors associated with testing positive in an ED. We also undertook molecular characterisation to look at the diversity of the viruses circulating in these individuals, and the presence of clinically significant mutations which impact on treatment and control. Blood-borne virus (BBV) testing in non-traditional settings is feasible, with emergency departments (ED) potentially effective at reaching vulnerable and underserved populations. We investigated the feasibility of BBV testing within two inner-London EDs. Residual samples from biochemistry for adults (⩾18 years) attending The Royal Free London Hospital (RFLH) or the University College London Hospital (UCLH) ED between January and June 2015 were tested for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)Ag/Ab, anti-hepatitis C (HCV) and HBsAg. PCR and sequence analysis were conducted on reactive samples. Sero-prevalence among persons attending RFH and UCLH with residual samples (1287 and 1546), respectively, were 1.1% and 1.0% for HBsAg, 1.6% and 2.3% for anti-HCV, 0.9% and 1.6% for HCV RNA, and 1.3% and 2.2% for HIV. For RFH, HBsAg positivity was more likely among persons of black vs. white ethnicity (odds ratio 9.08; 95% confidence interval 2.72–30), with anti-HCV positivity less likely among females (0.15, 95% CI 0.04–0.50). For UCLH, HBsAg positivity was more likely among non-white ethnicity (13.34, 95% CI 2.20–80.86 (Asian); 8.03, 95% CI 1.12–57.61 (black); and 8.11, 95% CI 1.13–58.18 (other/mixed)). Anti-HCV positivity was more likely among 36–55 year olds vs. ⩾56 years (7.69, 95% CI 2.24–26.41), and less likely among females (0.24, 95% CI 0.09–0.65). Persons positive for HIV-markers were more likely to be of black vs. white ethnicity (4.51, 95% CI 1.63–12.45), and less likely to have one ED attendance (0.39, 95% CI 0.17–0.88), or female (0.12, 95% CI 0.04–0.42). These results indicate that BBV-testing in EDs is feasible, providing a basis for further studies to explore provider and patient acceptability, referral into care and cost-effectiveness

Increased expression of interleukin-22 in patients with giant cell arteritis

GCA is characterized by arterial remodelling driven by inflammation. IL-22 is an attractive cytokine which acts at the crosstalk between immune and stromal cells. We hypothesized that IL-22 might be induced in GCA and might be involved in disease pathogenesis